TR said
David,If you have the barrel relined it’s already just a shooter, an extra small dent does not make much difference at that point. Refinish of the frame would be good money after bad. I’ve gone down that rabbit hole myself, won’t do it again. T/R
Actually, he shouldn’t have to pay for that, Taylor should, if he cared about making good the damage he accidentally caused; like any other damage one causes accidentally, if you’re at fault, you’re responsible for damages. But for the reasons I stated above, I don’t think refinishing is necessarily the best idea.
I’m not concerned about recovering as an investment. Most of my guns are shooters although some are higher level & of finish. This particular rifle has great wood and the barrel was still about 90%+ finish. I trust Mr. Taylor will make it right, options for finish depend on costs, although from what I have researched CC would run about 250/300 range on this small receiver, lever, and butt plate.
I have all 3 calibers of 2nd model 1890’s still with 50-75% original CC and I shoot them on occasion but would never ever attempt to recase these.
I have seen work done by some of these restoration places, frankly I don’t care for the clear coat that many apply to the case colors. Too bright IMHO.
David Attanasio said
I’m not concerned about recovering as an investment. Most of my guns are shooters although some are higher level & of finish. This particular rifle has great wood and the barrel was still about 90%+ finish. I trust Mr. Taylor will make it right, options for finish depend on costs, although from what I have researched CC would run about 250/300 range on this small receiver, lever, and butt plate.
Well, then, it’s considerably better than “fair” as you first described it, which I think of as being in the 60-70% range. (Though everyone has their own definition of such ambiguous terms.) New CC is going to be bright, whether clear-coated or not. If Taylor did the prep-work on the metal, cost ought to be a good deal less, as that, not the case-hardening process itself, is the labor-intensive part of the job.
Chuck said
Someone that is experienced with case coloring can age the color back to better match the existing parts. Probably will still look newer but better.
Tedious & time-consuming, but not really difficult, to rub it down as I previously described, nor does it require vast experience, merely attention to simulating a natural pattern of wear, which means avoiding too much uniformity; for ex., a rifle with even light wear would have little color left on the lever & tangs, most in protected areas. I’ve done three this way (because I got myself into situations I should have avoided!) & believe it would take an experienced eye to detect my handiwork.
David Attanasio said
Got the rifle back from John Taylor. What would be the correct tang sight? I have seen several listed marbles & lyman) online but not sure about spacing of mounting screw holes.
Any Lyman or Marbles with the standard Winchester spacing will work. The “correct” Lyman SS code is S, Marble’s, W5 or W6, depending on caliber, but you’ll probably have to pay a significant premium for sights with those codes. Since I won’t do that, I’ve never used any Lyman on my own SSs but the common DA (for ’94s), much as it might horrify some. (The gun doesn’t know the difference.) Probably easier to find a Lyman, but Marble’s has a superior locking device for the stem, which holds it rock solid even if worn. Talking about originals of course, not those ugly new repros.
David Attanasio said
Ok Thanks, most of what I saw was for 1892-1894’s. I agree on repro’s. Do you know of any sources for originals?
I’d be surprised if there weren’t a dozen or more on ebay right now. They’re common enough that I’d hold out for one with both screws, so you won’t have to hunt them up separately. Some sellers list them as Winchester tang sights, others as Lyman, so it might be best to search under both names. Here’s an example of a Lyman that I wouldn’t choose for a SS, because the Lyman marking on the base indicates late production: https://www.ebay.com/itm/393758623698?hash=item5badd7c7d2:g:DRgAAOSwaaBhqnG8
Great that it came out so well! I think you got it back quickly, relatively speaking, as work he did for me took about a yr.
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